Manometer/Mag Gauge

[Skier76]

What's everyone using?

My installer never used one when the stove was installed. I've been adjusting the damper by eyeballing the flame. I've noticed a difference in how my glass looks and the ash levels by adding more air to the mix. Figured I might as well get this dialed in to factory specs.

 

[elevenMracing]

I bought one of these to check my furnace and my stove, worked out well:

http://www.amazon.com/Meters-PDMM01...UTF8&qid=1420340691&sr=8-1&keywords=manometer

 

[Lake Girl]

Could always try of search of the threads to see what's been mentioned in the past....

Keep us posted on what you settle on and how you make out!

 

[Rock Crusher]

I made my own when I installed my pellet stove, was plenty accurate enough and can't argue with the price.

 

[hyfire]

Lots on ebay dywer magnehelics about 30-$50 number 2000-0c 0-.5"w.c. That is what I use and I would not operate any stove without one. Manufacturers should install them on all stoves...I don' know why they don;t!

(broken link removed to http://www.ebay.com/itm/DWYER-2000-0C-MAGNEHELIC-0-0-50IN-H2O-4-IN-1-8-IN-NPT-PRESSURE-GAUGE-B397065-/291343750974?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43d570d73e)

 

[Bioburner]

Couple feet of clear hose, some colored water and a ruler. That's what I used and that's what came with our radon mitigation fan system. Cost probably less than $2 if you don't have a ruler around the house.

 

[mustangwagz]

anyone gotta writeup how to build one? So...assumingly this is for measureing amount of vacuum that pellet stove creates in corrilation to they way your chimeny is setup? Ive never used one, or seen one used but was always curious to see just how ya measured water column vacuum.... Yinz all got my attention, please school me!

 

[Bioburner]

Picture is easier. I usually have more vacuum but we are in a ugly storm -8 and sustained winds of 25

 

[mustangwagz]

Ok, so please explain how this works sir. Im lost..lol Do ya tie this into the vacuum port which operates the vacuum switch?

 

[Bioburner]

You could. Harman stoves have a port that is plugged directly into the fire box. I don't know where your stove is supposed to have the vacuum read from.

 

[mustangwagz]

My stove measures its vacuum on the side via the vacuum port in the firebox. It runs over to the pressure switch..not sure if there's an additional hole or not...never looked for one honestly..ill look when i clean it again. I always pull hose off and suck/blow it out when im cleaning stove.

 

[Bioburner]

Could easy enough get a tee from auto supply and put inline and just cap after your done testing.

 

[chken]

What's everyone using?

My installer never used one when the stove was installed. I've been adjusting the damper by eyeballing the flame. I've noticed a difference in how my glass looks and the ash levels by adding more air to the mix. Figured I might as well get this dialed in to factory specs.

When I bought my Pyle manometer, I searched and found that most had either Dwyer Magnahelics or Pyle manometers.

 

[elevenMracing]

I made and adapter to screw directly into the fire box test ports on my P68 and PF120. Just took a brass car battery side post adapter, drilled through it with an 1/8in bit, the enlarged the hole on the back side and tapped it with an 1/8npt tap to allow me to screw in the barbed fitting that came with my Pyle manometer. I did have to undercut the body of the adapter slightly to clear the welds on the body of the P68, this would not be necessary if it were used exclusively for the PF120. I did it in a small lathe but I'm sure one of these could be made with a hand drill, a vice, and a small grinder if need be. There is probably a simpler way but this is what popped into my head and I happened to have all the necessary ingredients laying around. It worked out quite well. See attached pics:

 

[elevenMracing]

I should have noted that the threads in both of my Harman test ports are 3/8-16 (they're just plugged with a 3/8 bolt from the factory). The barbed fitting that came with my Pyle manometer is 1/8 npt, which is a tapered thread with 14 threads per inch (as opposed to 16 tpi in the test ports). That is why some sort of adapter was required.

 

[michpelletburner]

Lots on ebay dywer magnehelics about 30-$50 number 2000-0c 0-.5"w.c. That is what I use and I would not operate any stove without one. Manufacturers should install them on all stoves...I don' know why they don;t!

(broken link removed to http://www.ebay.com/itm/DWYER-2000-0C-MAGNEHELIC-0-0-50IN-H2O-4-IN-1-8-IN-NPT-PRESSURE-GAUGE-B397065-/291343750974?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43d570d73e)

is there two ports on those, one for pressure and the other for vacuum?

 

[hyfire]

is there two ports on those, one for pressure and the other for vacuum?

They have actually 4 ports, 2 you plug off. Yes you can use it both ways. You want to use the low pressure port and connect it to you stove and leave the high pressure port open to the atmosphere.

 

[michpelletburner]

so basically it measures pressure difference between the ports since there is actually vacuum in the firebox?

 

[elevenMracing]

so basically it measures pressure difference between the ports since there is actually vacuum in the firebox?

Precisely. Just zero it out and hook up your hose to the negative pressure side. If you hook the hose up the the incorrect fitting on the manometer it still works, just shows you a positive pressure. I was confused by that mistake for a few seconds on my first attempt.

 

[Skier76]

Thanks so much everyone. Glad to see there are options. I wasn't sure if there was a big difference based on the price differnce of the units.

 

[johninwi]

Free, because i have a basement full of junk. The straps for the tube are striped 14gage wire